Time's Remorse
by ARealBloodDrinker
Summary: Konoha is dead, razed to the ground. Sasuke saw his old friend, rival, and love killed by his own hands. There was only one way to right the wrongs. He could die doing it. But he'd do anything for Naruto. Things will be different this time. Things will change. But how is this change going to effect the world he once knew? NaruSasu (Female) & Tayuya x OC
1. Prologue! The Past Future

**IMPORTANT!**** Okay, everyone, I'm gopnna make this short and sweet so you can get to the story. How I'm describing battles and what transpired, this isn't how fighting is going to actually be in this story. It's a quick recap of the events that transpired earlier, basically a quick flashback of the enemies and the end result. FIGHTS WILL BE MORE DETAILED IN THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS (If the chapter has fighting of course). Now here is your story.**

Naruto just stood there, still as stone as the final blow came, the one that once more would pierce his heart, the cackle in the air ever so present. How did it come to this? How did it come down to fighting a brother, a friend, someone precious to him? How in the world would he ever remedy the failure he has committed? It pained him to look upon the faces of his dead comrades.

Sai, Sakura, and Kakashi lay broken and mangled from the initial attack. Kakashi had been at the very entrance the Akatsuki had made into the Leaf and had fallen by Madara's hand within a single minute. Sai and Sakura laid to his right, the two that were supposed to meet Kakashi there for their training from the man. Sai died protecting Sakura from the hail of kunai that flew at her. Sakura, enraged and distraught by the death of her team mate, attacked the perpetrator, only to be killed by Pain.

TenTen laid there, cuts, gashes and blood drenched her clothing from the Akatsuki's attack, the attacks from Konan being too much for her. Rock Lee and Neji Hyuuga… they were both in the masses of dead bodies somewhere, the only thing preventing Naruto from seeing them exactly was the fact that they had been beheaded. Might Gai had tried to race to the scene, only to be killed by Itachi's one time partner, Kisame, who later died by the hands of Miki and Aka.

Hinata was also among the dead, her heart having been pierced from stray shrapnel that flew from the building that was crushed near her. Kurenai, Kiba and Shino had both tried to defend the civilians from the wrath of Zetsu, though met a quick demise by the latter's hand. Zetsu would later be killed by an enraged Naruto.

Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji were all caught in the rain of hell unleashed by Hidan and Kakuzu. The seemingly immortal duo had cut them off from any Leaf reinforcements and set up the battle between the two teams. While fighting valiantly, the first to fall was ultimately Choji. Ino and Shikamaru, while successfully incapacitating Hidan permanently, sacrificed themselves in order to kill Kakuzu. Shikamaru had used his Shadow Possession Jutsu to try and hold him so Ino could deliver the killing blow, though Kakuzu was able to continue his movements, though sluggishly. Ino had to use her Mind Possession Jutsu, though found herself unable to move once in control due to Kakuzu's increased resistance. Her plan had been to kill Kakuzu while in his body, sacrificing herself. Now Shikamaru had to kill him, and by doing this, the kunai would be thrown by both parties, meaning Kakuzu's would hit Shikamaru and Shikamaru's Kakuzu, though Ino would also die from the kunai from being in his mind.

Ironically enough, even Itachi was among Konoha's dead. He somehow had survived Sasuke's attack on him, and returned to Konoha. News of his brother's actions reached him and he became distraught, working to find his brother. Along with finding his brother, Itachi had also been cured of his illness by the great medical Sannin and former-Hokage herself, Tsunade. Both, unfortunately, lay side by side from an attack received during a battle with Madara.

His other friends, the ones that had formed such close relationships within the Rookie Nine, including Temari, had fallen from the immense and utter destruction of Konoha by Pain's hands, the village being effectively leveled and set into a crater by the man. Miki and Aka again would become invaluable assets, the replica of the most gruesome bijuu inside Miki making its horrifying presence known as Aka turned into a blood lusting demon, quite literally, and both set upon and killed Konan and Pain. Aka would later turn to protect Miki from Madara, causing the Uchiha quite a few cuts, but in the end she met her untimely demise.

Miki was so heart-broken from his wolf friend and lifetime companion's death, he charged at Madara, ten tails appearing behind him in the form of pure, angelic white chakra, along with Naruto and his tenant's four tails. The fight was over relatively quickly, though Miki was incapacitated from the multiple shuriken blows he had taken to his abdomen and chest, though only flesh wounds, his beast had become tired from the use.

Then came the ultimate fight: Naruto against Sasuke. Sasuke wished nothing more than to see the man in front of him to drop dead, and although a pain rang through his chest, Sasuke still ran at Naruto, unsure why this feeling in what felt like his heart had developed. Subject Number One: Shinobi Tools. His katana and Naruto's last kunai obliterating each other's weapons as both cracked and gave way from the sheer power.

Subject Number Two: Taijutsu. This fight would then occur where Naruto had the upper hand, landing ten times more blows on Sasuke than vice versa; however every punch and kick seemed to miss a winning blow, almost on purpose.

Subject Number Three: Ninjutsu. Their arsenal of jutsus would be pitted against one another in this gruesome and bloody battle. Sasuke still found himself at a loss, and Naruto was clearly the victor under these circumstances. Genjutsu was out of the question since neither party was proficient in any.

The battle came down to Subject Number Four: Signature Ninja Technique. Sasuke charged at Naruto with a Chidori prominently flashing and cackling in his hands, Naruto's once prominent Rasengan now invisible. Sasuke's eyes widened as realization struck that Naruto would not evade, counter his attack, nor fight back. Naruto was accepting his own death.

The Chidori pierced through Naruto. Any moment now he had expected the signature 'poof' that so accompanied the death of one of Naruto's clones, yet none came, and still his bloody hand continued to stay stuck inside his profusely bleeding heart. Those sad eyes which had held back so much pain and suffering for so long. His small frown that was slowly turning into a depressed and sympathetic smile. Naruto was dying.

As Sasuke sat weeping with the fallen and fading form of Naruto in his arms, he finally understood the feeling that had only intensified from the fight. Sheer and utter loneliness, sadness, and heartbreak. He hated that Naruto, the man he loved, was dying. Not a brotherly love like it should have been. No, he loved Naruto, with all his heart and soul. He had always been there for him during the Team 7 days, and since his defecton, he always tried not to kill Naruto and only achieve his revenge. He fought Naruto to satisfy his intense denial of his love, and now, he ultimately regretted it.

"Why?! Why didn't you dodge?! Why didn't you fight back?! WHY DIDN'T YOU KILL ME!" He yelled. Naruto's eyes traveled back to Sasuke to see only the hurt and pain the latter was going through.

"I did this… for you. I hope you live a happy, long life, Sasuke. I hope you can find something that will once again bring you happiness now that revenge has left your heart. Now, please, Sasuke… go live your life with every amount of happiness you could not achieve here. Goodbye. I hope you can forgive me for not saving you from this fate, best friend." Naruto died almost as soon as the final words left his mouth, but Sasuke was too stunned for words, especially with the smile adorning Naruto's face.

"Damn… fuck… shit! Naruto! Damn you! Now that you're dead how will I ever be happy?! God, how did I not realize it sooner that I loved you? I just want to save you now! Damn it, Naruto talk to me! TALK TO ME!" Sasuke shook Naruto, expecting him to wake up any moment now

"He's dead, Sasuke." Miki spoke. Sasuke turned his head to his one-time friend. The one that united Naruto and him. "Sasuke… I don't know what to say, other than… I'm sorry." The eighteen year old Sasuke did a double take and almost threw up on the spot.

"Sorry…? SORRY? Why aren't you mad at me?! Why aren't you cursing my name to the very heavens! Why are you and him still, after all of this…" He paused. "Why the fuck do you still care about me?!"

"Hehehe. Sasuke… you just don't get it, do ya? We've always been your friends until the end. I want to tell you, Naruto… Naruto loved you, so much. Did you know he even stopped pursuing Sakura?" Sasuke's eyes widened. Naruto's love was turned down… by Naruto himself? "It's true, no bullshit. Besides, her and Itachi… they were an item by then. He was so confident he could get you back, he wouldn't give up. He just wanted your happiness. He knew he had to die in order for you to move on, and he had a choice: the village or Sasuke. He could kill you and save the village, or he could die and have the village razed and allow your happiness. Obviously neither was achieved, but he chose the path that he thought both spared and gave you happiness. So Sasuke, I'm sorry you're not happy. And I'm sorry it appears my wife died in vain."

Sasuke's eyes would flicker with curiosity, pain, and surprise at Miki's statement. "Me and this redhead… we were engaged. I guess she wasn't really my wife, but one more day and we would have been together. You met her once before, but you probably don't remember her at all, I don't think she ever told you her name. But Sasuke... she was pregnant. I was gonna have a kid! We only just found out, but… I was so happy. I was going to protect her, but the Akatsuki attack happened so suddenly that I couldn't get to her. And when I found her, she was already stone cold. I… I…" Miki's eyes began flowing with tears as they slid down his face continuously.

Sasuke's eyes began to water. Oh what he wouldn't give to change everything, to erase this time and redo it all. He could have been a hero in Konoha, stood by his friend and love, Naruto, and seen one of his best friend's weddings and their child. If only-

Sasuke's Sharingan eyes widened. Of course! He remembered now. His time spent with Orochimaru wasn't a complete waste! He tore off the scroll attached to his leg which held the seal, the one that would fix everything, the one-time-every-hundred-years seal that would save him. He started preparing its use.

"Sasuke? What are you doing?" Miki asked after a few minutes. Sasuke stopped with the preparations, having completed them and turned o Miki.

"This seal can be used to go back in time depending on the amount chakra you put into it. I'm hoping to land somewhere near when the teams were formed or earlier. But this seal has a fifty/fifty chance of either working or killing me. Either is better than this. Though if I do go back, I won't remember a thing." Sasuke stated.

"How will that have the slightest chance of changing this future? If you don't remember anything, then you'll just do it all over agaain." Miki said as he winced in pain.

"It may do that, but I can plant suggestions and such inside my mind. I could even tell my younger self to actually get to know Naruto, and I can try and save Itachi instead of hating him. Though there is one more optional side effect: I can choose to change my gender. That way Naruto and I can be together."

"I see…" Miki said. "Then if you could do me one favor, Sasuke, before you go." Miki said.

"Of course, anything for you, Miki." Sasuke said.

"Good. And thank you in advance." Miki took out a kunai and pointed it at Sasuke before flipping it so he held the point, handle towards Sasuke. "Now kill me."

"What!" Sasuke yelled. Was he really asking for this?

"You said it yourself: anything's better than living in this world. Please, understand, my good friend, I don't have a damned thing worth living for now. The village that accepted me is gone, the friend I had in Naruto is gone with his life along with Aka, you could die from this and change nothing, and… my wife and unborn child are dead, Sasuke! Please, have mercy on me and kill me now! If you don't, then I will, so do it!" Miki was screaming at this point, desperateness evident in his voice. Sasuke looked sadly at his long-time friend and retrieved the kunai.

"Thank you, Sasuke. I hope for all our sakes and all our lives, you can change this all. I hope you find happiness. Oh, and one more thing. Don't screw up, brat!" Miki smirked happily at the last bite he got into Sasuke before his time ended.

"Goodbye, Miki." With the last farewell's said, Sasuke threw the kunai at Miki's head, killing him instantly.

The sadness of knowing every human you once called friend was dead was overwhelming to Sasuke. More tears flowed from his eyes as he walked to the scroll and began pouring chakra into it in heaps and loads. A bright light soon encompassed the area, slowly expanding throughout the world until finally all of them were sent back. It was a second chance. A redo. As soon as they all next opened their eyes, the memories of this time would be forgotten.

Naruto Uzumaki, **the sixth Hokage**, would live.


	2. Tragedy! The Last Uchiha?

**Ryan- Wow, everyone! I've received such amazing and kind reviews from you all and I'm very happy you're all pleased! However, I would like to state something in this chapter: 1) I AM A DEVELOPING WRITER. Now I don't plan on writing an actual book or anything, but I am writing fan fictions that are meant to satisfy you, the reader, and me from an author's position, so if any of you have any suggestions for me in writing, they will be gladly accepted! 2) CRITICISM IS WELCOMED AND ENCOURAGED! I welcome criticism; it helps you to improve and helps you make the story more enjoyable. If you have any tips to how to make the story more accurate (At least up until the non-canon part) or correct me on an incorrect term, name, or that a phrase just doesn't fit with the rest of the story, it will be accepted and looked into by me to see if it was a mistake, or necessary.**

"Blah" regular talking

'_Blah, blah'_ Thoughts

Blah, blah, blah = normal scenario

Blah, blah, blah = Mindscape

_Blah, blah, blah, blah _= Flashback

**_"BLAH, BLAH, BLAH!"_**= Significant Summon/Monster/Deity

**Now without further ado, here's Chapter two! Hey, that rhymed! I'm a poet and I didn't even- hey, no! Story, don't you dare cut me o-**

* * *

Sasuke stood in a blazing white room. Well, what he guessed was a room. It seemed to him like an endless expanse. For a moment Sasuke stood in horror.

_'Did I transport myself back to when Itachi put me in the Mangekyou Sharingan during the Massacre? Wait, if it worked I shouldn't remember that. Am I dead?'_ He thought.

The endless expanse of white was definitely a different outcome of his death. He more expected to be met with eternal agony for all he'd done. Though, even in this infinite oblivion there was nothing around him, as he turned to face the other end of the expanse there was sheer nothingness.

**_"Turn around, boy!"_** An icy voice made itself known to the last Uchiha as he spun to meet it, though the sight he was granted was indeed horrifying.

A purple skinned monster stood before him, long green hair spiked out everywhere as his eyes looked menacingly at Sasuke, the large knife-like sword in his hands almost begging to dig into his own throat. Thought the scariest feature must have been that the thing was about three and a half times taller and larger than he was, all of it muscle and all of it radiating power. Sasuke was startled, but donned his stoic Uchiha mask and tried to step back to get a little distance from him in case of a fight, but was surprised to feel a wall where he stepped. That wall had not been there earlier.

"Who the hell are you?! What are you?!" Sasuke yelled.

The creature looked at him as the lowest scum would be viewed. Eyes full of hatred and disgust. That feeling that if you spoke one word out of line, the enemy would strike you down arose. What would be done to him now? The creature lowered its weapon.

**_"Boy, I understand you used the Seal of Time. You intend to revisit your timeline under new circumstances, and this will be met by my judgment."_**

"What? Who the hell are you to tell me that?!" Sasuke yelled. Suddenly, the knife was at his throat, this time drawing the slightest trickle of blood from his throat, though it was only just grazing him.

**_"You Uchiha, it has always been that arrogance and hatred that consumed your clan and caused your downfall." _**The Creature snarled. **_"However, if I'm to believe this timeline of events streaming from your heart, you have done many wrongs in your time, Sasuke Uchiha. But the one I most certainly have no intention of forgiving is the death of my, the Shinigami's, most favorite human. Naruto Uzumaki."_**

Sasuke looked up in terror. The beast in front of him was the Grim Reaper, the Shinigami? He certainly did die. He knew eternal torment would await him in this realm for all his wrongs. Nothing could save him now. And he wouldn't have it any other way. He did kill the one person he'd give anything for, after all.

**_"However," _**The Shinigami started. **_"In light of these events, when young Naruto's soul passed through this void, he sought your forgiveness at the cost of his own. However, while the fact that he would do this was certainly honorable, I would not grant it, though I will offer you one chance at redemption, Uchiha. One chance at your second chance. And all you need to do is answer one simple question."_**

Sasuke had gone through mixes of emotions. Love that Naruto would do that much for him, hate that he would so foolishly give himself away for someone as low as him, and eagerness at the Shinigami's question.

"Please!" Sasuke had dropped to his knees, lowering all his defenses, no mask upon his face, only sheer and utter disparity. "Ask me, I will tell you anything, just let me have the chance to tell Naruto everything, give me the chance to love him again, to right every wrong I've done to him, to save him! To save the one I'd die for!"

The Shinigami looked at the young man for a moment, contemplating the sincerity of his words. The past was in his hands now, the whole of time would be affected by this one decision no one would ever come to discover.

**_"You already have." _**The Shinigami stated. Sasuke's eyes beamed in happiness. **_"Do you know why most die when they use the Seal you used to travel back? It is because I do not allow them without noble cause._** **_Don't make me regret this kindness, Sasuke Uchiha. I will be sending you back in time just before the Uchiha Clan Massacre. A small piece of your soul will be left in your new body, but only until when you decided to leave the village. Your suggestions will only offer advice to this new life and you may have contact with yourself at some time, however every event during the Chuunin Exams is a fixed point in time. Those events will always happen no matter the timeline; however Orochimaru's Cursed Mark is an optional event. Good luck to you, Sasuke Uchiha."_**

The room filled with darkness, and before any soul could ever understand the implications of Sasuke's position, time was reversed, and his heart lifted, the newest souls disappearing and the older souls forgetting all as their companions happened to have never been dead. He could finally see Naruto again.

* * *

Satsuki Uchiha awoke that morning to a head rush. It felt like all the blood she had was going straight to her head, until it felt so bad that she thought her head would implode! Next thing she knew, the ache was gone, replaced by curiosity.

_'What just happened?' _She thought, though she dismissed it as her mother Mikoto Uchiha called for her about breakfast.

Meanwhile, in the poorer section of the Village Hidden in The Leaves, one bright boy awoke from his slumber, which could have been more accurately described as a gruesome nightmare of that night months ago.

* * *

_A newly eleven year old Naruto crouched at the end of a dark alleyway, huddled into a corner in hopes his pursuers would simply vacate the area without noticing him. It was his birthday; the celebration of the Nine-Tailed Fox's death. It was also, however, the day the villagers became ruthless and merciless in their beating of him. Of course other beatings would take place nearly weekly for him, but as years progressed, the Festival was the only one in which they're beatings would get even more barbaric every October 10. He hid in hopes they would never find him, but they always seemed to no matter what he used. And this year just happened to be the day a man driven into insanity was searching for Naruto along with the mob._

_"Come here little Fox Demon. I promise I'll make the suffering swift. How does, say, three days sound? Sounds rather fun to me, hehehe. I'll take my time carving out every organ, draining every drop of blood, and crushing your bones to dust! Maybe if I'm in the mood, I'll have a go at castration. At least then we won't have to worry about those little demons running around. And maybe I'll give my friends who died in that unfortunate Kyuubi attack something to be proud of: my killing of the demon of Konoha!" He ranted._

_The brown haired man entertained himself with these ideas every time Naruto had a near encounter with the man, which was turning into a frequent event. No matter which alley Naruto entered, it seemed the man was always in them, occasionally with company, though more than often alone. Naruto attempted to exit the alleyway quietly, though seemed to miss the broken glass under his battered sandals, and the sound of breaking glass echoed throughout the alley, sounding almost too loud to be possible. Almost as if time had slowed, the man turned to face Naruto with a look of complete psychotic joy, the festival lights shining brightly against his silhouetted figure._

_"Found you." The man spoke._

_Naruto turned to run as fast as he could, but before he could even take that fourth step, the man appeared in a swirl of leaves. A Shunshin. This man was an insane former ninja, judging from his lack of a headband. Naruto wouldn't escape now._

_"Please, don't hurt me! I-I'll do whatever you want, ju-just please, I want to live! Please…please." Naruto begged the man, though if he was remorseful of his hunt for the boy, it certainly wasn't shown. Instead, the man only seemed to be casting an even larger smile at the boy, his eyes overflowing with glee from the begging. He was enjoying every second of his begging and obviously had no intention to stop. He grabbed Naruto and brought him close to his face._

_"Tell you what; I've decided I changed my mind. Instead of soaking myself in the Nine-Tails' filthy blood and soiling my clothes, why don't I just gut you right now?" The man drew a kunai, aimed at Naruto's body. At this point Naruto's eyes consisted only of fear and confusion. What did the man mean about the Nine-Tails?_

_"Oh," The man said. "That's right, you don't know. You ARE the Nine-Tailed Fox. The day of the attack, The Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze died sealing the wretched beast into your puny infant body! The Third Hokage made a law which prevented us from speaking of it, the corrupt Kage! Now die, demon!"_

_The kunai plunged into Naruto's heart as his eyes widened from the revelation, the impaled organ still pumped for the remainder of its host's life, causing the blood to pump out through each beat with ease. The pain only lasted a moment, though his dilated pupils showed his body felt the effects. A sense similar to relief shone in Naruto's eyes, though very hidden within shock. Relief that it was all over, all the beatings and senseless violence. All over. He would be dead soon._

_As his thoughts continued along these lines, he grimaced as the kunai dug deeper into the seven year old, twisting inside him as blood seeped through the boy's white swirl designed T-shirt. His hair and clothes now thoroughly drenched in his blood seemed to almost gleam in the moonlight along with the kunai, only a quarter of the weapon now actually visible. A puddle was rapidly and quickly growing beneath him, and he almost seemed to smile in death's cold embrace. His bright blue eyes shone for one last time before red overtook the, bloodlust seeping into his being._

**_"Rrrrrraaaaaaagh!"_**_ Naruto screamed. Whisker marks becoming more defined, canines enlarging, nails growing sharp; Naruto took on the appearance akin to a demon. The psychopath who had cornered Naruto yelped with pain as Naruto clenched his hand, hearing bone break._

_"GYAAAAAAH! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU! AAAAAAAH!" The man screamed in pain as he felt all the bones inside his hand become shattered like glass. The assault did not end there, however. The next moment, Naruto's nails were plunged into the assailant's stomach._

_ "WAAAA! How?! How can you… even attack me… with the kunai in your hear…" The man looked down to see the kunai had harmlessly clattered to the ground quite some time before. What stunned him even more was that the boy's heart was completely healed._

_"Imposs… i… ble…" The man's voice became weaker as life faded from him. Naruto pulled his hand from the man's abdomen and his eyes quickly reverted to their original blue. Naruto appeared dazed at first, but the sight of the corpse beneath him quickly brought him back into existence._

* * *

'_That night… I killed a man. My first real killing before I even became a ninja… and no one ever found out._' He thought.

He looked at his clock only to see that it was about the time he had to be at the Ninja Academy. He had failed the Academy exams twice so far and it was his third year, in fact Iruka had suggested he be set back a few grades to attempt to re-learn forgotten techniques. At first Naruto had disapproved of being put back into a younger class full of clan heirs, but once he realized the information being covered would help him with his dreams, his demeanor changed and he was thankful Iruka sent him back. Today, however, Naruto didn't feel like school would do anything for him.

Today he would settle for a nice, huge prank on everyone in the village.

* * *

Sasuke was currently within his alternate mind. It may have been confusing as anything, but he understood the circumstances. Currently this gender swapped version of him was sitting in an academy class learning tactics and various training methods. Her mind looked as though he was sitting upon the clouds of the sky just as the moon was reaching its peak. This must be how her mind looked, like how Naruto's looked like a damp, dim sewer. He was wearing a long sleeved blue shirt with a high collar and the Uchiha crest on his chest with black pants, hair remaining the same along with the age he had decided to travel back at, though he had a distinct absence of the Sharingan.

He knew what the day was; he had seen what his mother made for breakfast. It was quite a few orange slices and a half a glass of milk. This day was engraved into his very mind, and the event was even more obvious due to a certain boy's absence from the household.

"Today's the big day. Hn." Sasuke spoke.

As he took another look into his new self's eyes, he could see Naruto's latest prank.

'_Dobe really outdid himself this time. Don't think he ever did that in my time. Heh, seems like this version of me finds this as amusing as I do._' Chuckling to himself, memories started to come to mind of Naruto's past exploits. He disregarded the events streaming into his mind and refocused on the high moon. '_Such a starless sky…_'

* * *

Looking over his work, Naruto gave off his stunning fox-like grin. He had truly outdone himself this time! The eleven-year old dispersed the henge placed on the area and quickly ran down into the village to avoid attention, transforming into an average civilian before bringing himself into the crowd. Whispers were spreading through the crowd at the ridiculousness of his prank.

"Look at that." A villager said.

"It looks like Naruto again."

"Damned demon, why does he always do this?"

"Mommy, why is the old guys place all colorful? Ooh! Is it a festival, mommy? Can we go?" A child said.

"ANBU will catch that demon this time, there's no way he can evade them forever."

Naruto took in these comments full force and grinned evilly. Repainting the Hokage's Tower in a rainbow of colors, most prominently orange, was the easy part. The other, more difficult part was the entire area around the Tower was a blinding yellow, some blue, white, a tannish color, and even from the Academy classrooms, it would clearly be seen that all the paint formed a perfect picture of Naruto Uzumaki! This was his crowning achievement, his prank of all pranks.

"You've outdone yourself this time, Naruto!" Naruto's head whipped around towards the familiar voice, seeing Kakashi and Sayuri Hatake, and Miki with Aka on his head behind them.

"Aw, Miki! How'd you know?" He asked.

"Dude, you reek of foxes and miso ramen! How the hell can I not find you when you smell like that?" Miki retorted as Aka yipped in agreement. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Impressive work, Naruto, especially being able to put up that large of a henge for as long as you must have. Getting some training in stealth and endurance by getting ANBU on your tail is excellent practice." Kakashi said.

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei! Can you teach me something else now? You already taught me the Transformation Jutsu early, so come on!" Naruto yelled. Kakashi simply eye smiled and shook his head, leaving Naruto to sulk.

"Oh yeah, Naruto, Anko was in class today. She wanted me to warn you that Iruka-sensei called everything off early to come catch you, so I'd lay low." Sayuri said.

"Yeah, can't let our knuckleheaded cohort getting snagged now can we? See you later Naruto, I'm off to practice!" Miki said, running off towards the nearest clearing with Miki on his head.

"Thanks guys, time for me to disappear, and don't worry, no one's gonna catch me, believe it!" Naruto said as he dropped the henge.

"Idiot! You just reverted in the middle of a crowd with other Shinobi here! They're gonna be all over you and-" Sayuri looked at the rooftops to see Iruka scanning the area. "BAKA! Iruka-sensei is right there! Put the henge back u-"

"NAAAAARRUUUUTOOOOO!" Iruka screamed as loud as he could to try and subdue Naruto with fear.

"RUN!" The Hatake's yelled to Naruto, who quickly began using the alleyways and secret passages he knew of to escape ninjas for the rest of the day, Iruka-sensei though was always the more difficult to shake. He managed to shake Iruka regardless.

* * *

Satsuki was currently in an uncontrollable laughing fit from the day's earlier show. Naruto had managed to paint a huge portion of the village ridiculous colors, all while transforming the village's buildings. It was purely amazing he could have accomplished that. He was truly talented with Ninjutsu. She even saw him evading ANBU almost with ease! If that is how ANBU operated all the time then it was an embarrassment that they couldn't even catch the infamous three time Academy failer and professional prankster.

On her walk home, she only just began to realize how late it actually was. She had stayed after the end of the Academy to practice on the one of the many training dummies around the area and had improved ever so slightly, though it seemed now she was almost late for dinner! Trying to compensate for the loss of time, she ran the rest of the way home, only stopping once she reached the Uchiha Compound's gates.

From the moment she entered the gates, she knew something was off. While she disregarded it as her imagination, there was that feeling of being prey stalked by your predator. That was not normal to feel in the compound at all. Suddenly she felt a gaze pierce her. Turning to the source, she saw a shadow quickly glide across the sky but nothing more.

"What was that?" She said. Then she noticed something else. '_The lights are out._' "It's not time to sleep yet!"

She ran and ran as fast as she could, taking in the damage. Kunai and shuriken littered the ground, shops had been torn apart and homes walls destroyed. Shuriken tore through small paper signs and windows were broken with occasional bloodstains, though not enough blood to have been fatal.

Once she came to her Auntie Shizu's house. Out front lay her and her dead husband. Checking to see if they were alive, she noticed the cause of their demise. Kunai littered their abdomens and they're blood had soaked into their clothes. Stopping her inspection, she noticed the rest of her clan also lay on the ground, bloodied and impaled. She knew what she had to do.

She had to get home and save her parents and Itachi before it was too late.

"Itachi! Mother! Father!" Satsuki called. She had entered her house and ran frantically to try and get to her family. "Come quick, someone has killed the rest of the clan, we need to leave!"

She burst through the living room, through the halls all the way to her parents' meeting room. So many thoughts raced through her mind. Who could have done this? Why would they? Were they still here? Were they in her house? Was Itachi home? Why weren't the Konoha Shinobi coming to help the clan at all?

Opening the door, some questions were answered. Itachi was home. He currently held a sword dripping in blood above two corpses with large gashes and blood seeping through. They were dead. They were her mother and father.

"Itachi… what have you done?" Satsuki said.

Itachi looked at her with a bored expression, as if this were a pointless matter.

"I killed them." He said.

"WHY?! Why would you do that Itachi? They were our parents, our clan…"

Itachi gazed at her emotionlessly. That was when she noticed his eyes. The Sharingan had three tomoes, signifying its maturity, though it seemed almost a shade too red to her, but this was most likely caused by the darkness she was in. But his eyes started to spin freely, puzzling the eight year old.

"Because I wanted to test my skill." Satsuki's eyes widened in shock. All this to test his skill? "Skill can only be tested when someone is in the heat of battle. Without this, they lack the components needed to fully gauge their own skill level. By taking on our clan, I have proved that I was ultimately the strongest of the Uchiha, and that would therefore mean that besides the Hokage, am the strongest shinobi in the Hidden Leaf."

"But that's madness!" Satsuki yelled. "We're you're family! It doesn't make sense!" Satsuki's eyes started to overflow with tears she didn't even know she was shedding. "If what you're saying is true… how could you even live with yourself?!" She drew a kunai she regularly used in practice. It had been sharpened to the point of being able to cut anyone's skin with a slight gaze and she would use it against Itachi now.

Itachi simply gazed at her and snarled. '_If only she knew._' He thought. He threw two shuriken at Satsuki, who was nicked on the shoulder. Taking this time, she sprung forward, ready to plunge her kunai into his stomach. All her efforts were in vain, however, when Itachi simply punched her belly and sent her to the other end of the same room.

"Foolish sister. Mangeky-" Itachi started.

"Get away from her, Uchiha bastard!" A new voice called.

Eyes widening, Itachi was met with a fierce punch to his face delivered by the arriver. They had spikey hair and was about her height, but she couldn't make out who it was. The punch's force spun him about face, leaving a trickle of blood coming from his bleeding mouth.

"Hey kid, you alright?" They asked the girl as she nodded. "Good, now don't just stand there! Get outta here! This isn't much of a rescue if all you do is screw around!" Understanding this, Satsuki ran to the door and sprinted out of her house.

"Naruto Uzumaki. You know that won't save her for long. I'm easily your better and you won't live long." The oldest Uchiha stated.

"Hmph! I may not be your equal, but if there's one thing I am, it's distracting. I can give that girl enough time to escape you and be at Ichiraku's Ramen for dinner scumbag, believe it!" Naruto boasted.

"Well we'll see about that." Naruto dropped into his ready stance, searching Itachi's face for his next move as Itachi stared at Naruto.

"Mangekyou Sharingan!"

Naruto felt himself freeze for the slightest second and then… nothing. Whatever jutsu Itachi used obviously did not affect Naruto in any way.

"Hm… my Mangekyou has no effect. I was hoping to test out the Tsukuyomi once more before leaving. Oh well."

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the Uchiha disappear in a swirl of leaves, only to have Itachi appear behind him and deliver a swift chop to his neck to knock him out.

"I'm sorry for this, little one." Itachi's sad voice filled the air, once again disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Itachi appeared in front of Satsuki this time, who hadn't made it far since her dash from the house, she was somewhere on the streets of the Uchiha Compound.

"Hn. You're still a weak child, Satsuki." He said.

"Why did you have to kill everyone?! Why would you kill our own family, Itachi? It doesn't make sense to test your own power on family!" She yelled as red flashed in her eyes for the briefest moment. Itachi merely grunted in annoyance, but he noticed those eyes.

'_She's already unlocked her Sharingan. She doesn't even know it yet, either._'

"What I did to them is nothing compared to what I am about to do to you, little sister. Mangekyou Sharingan!" He called out his Jutsu once more, his eye changing into a black, pointed pinwheel with a single red dot in the center.

* * *

"Well, so much for the peace and quiet." Sasuke said. "Looks like I'm about to have visitors. I can't see this being enjoyable."

As his sentence finished, Satsuki's mindscape began to warp. The effects of the Tsukuyomi Genjutsu were occurring rather rapidly, and fully changed into the Uchiha compound. His old family and friends stood around him, dredging old memories back from the deepest recesses of his mind. Tears formed, but he quickly willed them away._'Now is not the time to get all emotional, Sasuke.'_

Soon, Satsuki materialized into her own mind, quickly puzzled as to the black, white and red are around her. Soon, she saw her Auntie Shizu being cut down by Itachi as kunai and shuriken flew at remaining Uchiha. Sasuke quickly intervened, catching a kunai thrown during the illusion, effectively interrupting Itachi as the man stared puzzled at the new Uchiha.

"You. You are Uchiha, yet I've never seen nor heard of someone like you. More so, you've interrupted me in the Tsukuyomi." He said. Sasuke let off a warm, friendly smile, even if it was small.

"Well, Itachi, you always were talented. I'm her protector and you won't lay a finger on her fragile mind. But I do applaud your abilities. It was natural you unlocked Mangekyou due to your actions, and assisting in your best friend's suicide." Sasuke replied.

Itachi's eyes widened. He had made sure no one would be able to make a definite connection between him and the death of his best friend. How had this one man discover it?

"Sorry, but it's time for you to leave this place. I can't have you interfering in this conversation any longer." Sasuke said.

Not a moment later, Sasuke appeared behind Itachi, and a loud, deafening chirping noise was created. Before anyone could react, a Chidori was thrust through Itachi's stomach. He quickly disappeared from existence, and Satsuki's mindscape returned to normal, clouds obscuring the night sky and moon.

"Wh-Who are you?" Satsuki asked, fearful and grateful toward her savior. Sasuke sighed before speaking.

"Sasuke Uchiha, former head clan member of the Uchiha." Sasuke said.

"That's wrong!" Satsuki yelled. "My father, Fugaku Uchiha was the clan head! You can't be any older than twenty! You aren't the clan head!"

"Alright, Alright. Let me explain, idiot." Sasuke thought briefly it was odd he was calling himself an idiot. Satsuki huffed in annoyance at it, but obeyed. "Now, I know this will all sound far-fetched, but right now we are inside your mind." Seeing Satsuki about to speak, he quickly raised a hand for her to stop. "Your questions will be answered when I'm done. I was once the clan head of the Uchiha when they were all killed by my older brother. He used a Genjutsu by the name of Tsukuyomi on me, which can create an illusion where the user can torture the targeted person for three days. A few minutes in the Tsukuyomi is actually a single second outside of the illusion, so time passes slowly.

"He showed me the massacre of the clan, and I ran. I was so afraid I didn't try to do anything, just run away. He caught me, though, and proceeded to tell me that he wouldn't kill me, but to let my anger and hate drive me to become stronger. That path had lead me to a life of loneliness and hurt. I defected from the Leaf Village once someone uttered the words that they could make me more powerful, enough so to kill my brother. In the process, I tried to kill my best friend, my former team, even the person I loved. I eventually joined with a group called the Akatsuki to destroy Konoha once I learned my brother was forced to kill my clan because of their attempts at a coup in Konoha. When I razed it to the ground, when I killed the person I loved… I felt hollow. My best friend asked me to kill him because it was better than his life there. I was disgusted with myself. So I grabbed a seal, went back in time to change things, and ended up in your mind. Can you guess were this is going?"

Satsuki shook her head. '_There has never been an Uchiha Massacre before tonight, we were never wiped out like this before. What could he mean?'_

Sasuke sighed. "I guess it shouldn't surprise me, you are only eight. I am you from a different timeline."

Satsuki's eyes widened at the revelation. '_Wait, he can't be me! What the hell is wrong with his head?_'

"You can't be me!" She exclaimed. "You're not even a girl! If you were from the future or something you should be a girl, not a boy!"

"I used a seal that let me change my gender so I could be with the person I love without complications." Sasuke said. "The clan was dead, and if I wanted to have the Uchiha clan back eventually, I would have needed to be a girl. Though you don't seem to be me entirely judging by your personality. I was more the quiet type, but you're less so. You must have been brought up differently." Sasuke finished his explanation hopeful the other would understand. Sadly it was not to be.

"Prove it." She said simply. Silently, Satsuki was contemplating the fact she may have been gay in another timeline. Sasuke, however, honestly didn't know how to prove himself. What quirk was there no one else knew about him? He ransacked his brain for answers when suddenly one hit him like a kunai. Of course! That would never change!

"You are completely and utterly obsessed with the greatness of tomatoes." With a smirk on his face, he saw his younger self nod.

"Yep. I've never told anyone that, so you must be from the future." She stated, but afterwards frowned. "I can't believe I would do those things. What was wrong with me?" She asked.

"It was more that I was simply blinded by my obsession with power." He said. "Hey, we have to get you back. Like I said, a few minutes in here is like a second outside, so we've been talking for a good three and a half seconds, and I don't know how Itachi will react, so time to wake up. I believe if you have any questions I can answer them if you simply concentrate, though by meeting me without the Tsukuyomi, you will fall asleep and time will pass normally here and on the outside, so a second will be a second in both areas."

Satsuki was more or less absorbing everything, so she simply nodded, holding questions for a later time, as she felt herself slipping out of her mind.

* * *

Satsuki found herself once again face-to-face with her brother again, who bore a light scowl at the actions which took place in Tsukuyomi.

"I see you are awake, sister. I have no more use of you. Grow to hate me, to loathe my very existence. Only once that has been done will you ever hope to be as strong on me. Let the hate fester in your soul, drive you to become stronger. Let me see my little sister's hatred." He said as he turned his back.

"Wai-" Before Satsuki could speak, he Shunshined behind her and chopped her neck, much like he did to Naruto.

'_Sorry, sister, but I can't have you interfering.'_

With that, Itachi vacated the Village Hidden in the Leaves, along with his only family.

* * *

**A/N:Sorry it took so long, but I have just been really tired, plus its the very end of the school year (Ends on the 21st!) and I have Quarterlies and other school crap coming up. Hell, I just had a History Essay today! So I hoped you all enjoyed the chapter, and I will admit I don't like the Massacre bit because I still have no idea what I wanted to do there, and with the first meeting between Satsuki and Sasuke. So hopefully I was at least decent.**


	3. Ninjas! Friends Of the Fox!

**A/N: Ryan: I hope any of you Who-vians (Doctor Who Fans) spotted and appreciated that "Fixed point in time" line last time from the Shinigami! So let's get it done and head on to Chapter Three! Oh, wait, one was the Prologue…. Meh, it's Chapter Three to me!**

**Satsuki: You're awfully cheery after having your heart broken in two.**

**Ryan: Ehhh?! Satsuki! Why are you out of the story? AND YOU DIDN'T HAVE AUTHORIZATION TO RELEASE THAT DETAIL!**

**Satsuki: I don't care! I just want to get you to move on to the story already, damn it! I can't believe you're gonna be time skipping all over the place this chapter, so come on already! I want to get my cutie Naruto NOW!**

**Ryan: Eep! Here we go, Chapter three! Wait, Satsuki, what are you doing with that chair? Hey, hey! Shit, start the chapter! Start the chapter already before I get-!**

* * *

_**The Next Morning…**_

Satsuki's eyes slowly opened to the warm morning sun shining on her. The day seemed to be a promising one, if the happily chirping birds meant anything. The white room served to further brighten the room as light refracted off the shiny surfaces. The stiffness of her bed however, added to her discomfort, as well as the foreign smells which seemed to radiate from every direction. She idly wondered if Itachi accidently burned something with a fire jutsu before bolting upright.

"ITACHI!" Satsuki yelled, ignoring the stiffness of her own joints.

She frantically searched for her misguided brother, but her shoulder's sagging appearance conveyed her sadness at finding her brother gone and her in a hospital room. However, even as she felt the world around her numb, a nurse suddenly barged in after the yell and ran to the small Uchiha, fussing over her undamaged exterior.

"Doctor!" She yelled. "She's awake! Come quick and check her."

A new doctor suddenly appeared as Satsuki faintly realized she would be here for a while.

* * *

In a separate room, Naruto Uzumaki began to catch his first glimpses of the beautiful sunrise. He stretched his muscles, his hand no longer pained from his punch to the older Uchiha's face. He suddenly became aware of five presences currently residing outside his hospital room. Unaware of who they could be, he opted to let them show themselves in as he began recapping last night's events.

'_Okay, so first I pranked the villagers and managed to escape Iruka-Sensei for the first time. Then I got lost from all the running and ended up… somewhere. Then I found that one clan's compound… um, what were they called? Okita? Oochuwa? Achooha? Damn, I can never remember their names whenever I want to, but whenever I don't want to, I remember! Well, either way they had those weird fan-like symbols all over the place and they're the red-eyed-stick-up-their-asses clan. Then I think I saw dead people… a lot of dead people. I heard someone screaming and ran into the building, and then I saved that girl… damn, I don't know her, it was too dark. Then that guy disappeared and hit me, and now I'm here. Anything else? Hmm… well, that was a hell of a sucky day, thinking back on it._' Naruto thought, however to his surprise, the door to his room finally opened, revealing just who'd been outside.

"Ojii-san! Kakashi-sensei! Sayuri!" He yelled out. The three came to check up on him along with the Hokage's two personal ANBU guards.

"Hello, Naruto. I'm happy to see you are up and about!" Sarutobi gleefully stated.

"Naruto, next time a clan-wide massacre is occurring, use your eyes and get out, baka! You had me worried sick! I can't have my little bro dying on me! You and Miki are too much like family!" The long silver haired Sayuri Hatake said.

"Hey there." Kakashi's lazy eye seemed to be more interested in his orange book than Naruto himself, though the Jonin's act was put off by the ever so slight glances of relief he threw the boy.

"Hey! Everyone's here!" Naruto exclaimed, though a second sweep of the room left him with a question. "Where's Miki?"

"Shit, fuck, piss, ass!" A second later, the sound of something hitting concrete echoed through the room. The occupants scrambled over to the window to find their light brown haired companion face planted into the side of the building.

"God damn buildings! I will destroy all of them and then build an empire on their ruins, then destroy their tiny building children, while castrating the grandchildren of the buildings! Why did you make me slam into this shit!" Miki had been unfortunate enough to fall trying to stop himself just outside Naruto's room. His face however seemed to be undamaged as he turned towards his friends. "Naruto! Hey! Um, forget you saw that."

Miki climbed through the window, his unzipped orange hoody almost getting caught on the window along with his ANBU style pants, the darker orange shirt beneath the hoody ruffling slightly from the twisting as his black ninja sandals landed with a thud on the hard floor. However, his entrance surely made anyone who saw his slip oblivious. Miki's blue eyes scanned the other's faces as they stared at hi continuously.

"Oi, are you all just gonna stare? I mean, really. ANBU too?" Shaking their heads to rid the shock, the room's occupants soon found most of them sheepishly gesturing. Miki, meanwhile, turned toward Naruto. "Hey, guy, I heard you got into some massive shit last ni- ACH!" Miki suddenly found a huge lump on his head, courtesy of the fist currently raised above his head.

"Language, Miki." Kakashi said. Miki simply muttered what almost sound like something about 'white haired perverts' which earned him another bump on the head. "Respect your elders, Miki."

"So where have you been? And, uh, why did you smash into the wall?" Naruto asked. Miki in turn stopped rubbing his head to acknowledge Naruto's undamaged form.

"Heh, well, after your prank yesterday, I ran into some assholes who thought they could mug me while I was in the forest, so I had to take care of them. Then I met up with Kiba later that night and Akamaru and Aka decided to play. After that I woke up and it was really late and Kakashi and Sayuri left a note about leaving for the hospital, so I rushed through everything, and then I face planted on the building because I rushed. Ooh, Sayuri, you got pocky?! Gimme!" Miki was suddenly held back by Sayuri's outstretched arm as the others looked at them with a sweat drop from their antics.

"Not a chance, baka." Sayuri replied.

"Um… where'd she get that pocky? She didn't have it a moment ago." Naruto asked.

"Naruto, some things we're better off not knowing." Kakashi states as the two continue to struggle against each other for the pocky.

"Sayuri, as ruler of the pancake people, I order you to give me pocky!" Miki yelled at the top of his lungs.

* * *

_**Two Days Later**_

All who had been involved in the Uchiha Massacre that dreadful night had been released from the hospital. Naruto seemed to be his normal self and was continuously flanked by both Sayuri, Miki and the wolf pup Aka. The sun was already setting when the group decided they would go for a walk along the lake. Miki, as usual, was being just as crazy as he always was.

"-and then they WOOOSH! And then BAM! And then KAPOW! And then their heads just up and exploded into confetti, and the entire village decided, 'PARTY TIME!' and they all got so drunk they went and slept in the pig pens, the idiots!" Miki was currently grinning like a madman as Naruto and Sayuri simply gazed at his madness.

"Miki, are you considered mentally insane?" Sayuri asked. Miki slapped both his hands over each other behind his head and continued walking with the grin ever so present on his face.

"Yep!" He said as Aka yipped in agreement.

"Fair enough." Naruto said.

Soon, the group had made their way to the lake's dock, and a lone figure could be seen just at the end of the dock. The fan symbol was highly pronounced in the setting sun and caused them all too simply stare at the last of the Uchiha, Satsuki. As they walked on, Satsuki's, Naruto's, and Miki's eyes met as they all seemed to have an unspoken conversation. The one thing they all had present in their eyes was the loneliness they have felt.

'_So I'm not alone…_' Miki, Naruto, and Satsuki all shared this one thought as they continued to pass each other. Sayuri figured they should give the last Uchiha a chance to cope with her family's death, while Naruto simply thought he should give the Uchiha a break from their usual antics. Miki, however, would have none of that today. He turned on his friends with an agitated expression worn on his own face.

"What the fuck are you guys doing?!" He yelled, garnering the attention of even the Sharingan wielder.

"What do you mean?" Naruto and Sayuri simultaneously questioned.

"What do I… what do I mean?!" Miki exclaimed. By this time the Uchiha had chosen to ignore them and leave them to their own vices. Miki roughly grabbed both of his surrogate siblings' hands and lead them down to the dock and made his way over to the blissfully unaware Satsuki.

"Hey, Satsuki!" Miki said. The Uchiha turned his head at the new arrivals and simply seemed to stare right through them.

"Leave me alone. I don't want you here." She stated.

"That's a lie." Naruto suddenly spoke up, causing Satsuki to turn to him. She had received so much sympathy from the last two days she was surprised these people did not bother with her commands.

"When something bad happens, when you're sad, you always want someone there with you. I know… trust me." Naruto's voice and face portrayed a person who had felt nothing but pain their life, making him seem older than his eleven year old self really was. The sun kissed blonde had sadness radiating from his very being, and Miki and Aka were nearly as bad.

"Say what you will, but I still don't want you here…" Satsuki's head turned back to the lake. Her voice conveyed her sadness and her loneliness, though substantially less than the hopeless trio's, was still just as hurt. She had experienced the death of her entire clan and her brother's defection. It was hard to put anyone in worse situations.

Naruto's innocent mind drove him to perform his next action. He got on his knees behind Satsuki and wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace. As Satsuki's eyes continuously expanded from the gesture, Naruto noticed her eyes beginning to water, and knew what was coming. Bottling your emotions up to the point of emotionlessness can cause anyone to do so, and he knew what it felt like. Soon Satsuki simply cried until her eyes were crimson, though still the young Naruto held her. His hug had shown her that some people genuinely cared for her, and she needed someone there for her at a time like this.

As her tears stopped their vicious flow, the first thing Satsuki took note of was her eyes burning from the aftermath. The second was that Naruto still stayed, not at all bothered by the young Uchiha's show of emotion. She turned her head as Naruto let go of her, wondering why he had stopped his comforting, only to be met by a sad smile upon his face. She gazed at the group, though mainly Naruto.

"Thank you all… so much. I didn't think anyone actually cared about me in this village." She said. The group looked down at her with friendly smiles, amazed at the Uchiha's show of affection. After all, Uchiha were known for their stone cold nature and mannerism. Perhaps a bit of her mother rubbed off on the child. Satsuki's mother was known throughout the village as a generous woman, after all.

"Well, Satsuki," Sayuri chose this moment to speak her mind, "From now on, you have me, Naruto, Miki, and Aka by your side!" Aka emerged from Miki's orange zipped up hoody and barked I agreement. The female Uchiha happily smiled at the group.

'_I have friends. It feels nice after all of this._' She thought.

* * *

_**One Month Later**_

The Massacre survivors were deemed mentally and emotionally fit enough to attend classes once more two weeks previously. Sayuri and Miki had been eating lunches with the Uchiha and Naruto, never allowing them a moment's peace in order to support their longtime and new friends. Sayuri had been in one of the utterly useless, at least in her mind, classes that woman were forced to take, which was flower arranging, though it was her last day since her father would be getting her put into the boy's classes after today since she always failed the girls only assignments in the class. That day, though, she noticed a pink haired girl being bullied by other students. The teasing only worsened during lunch time when boys joined in.

Sayuri, feeling intervention was needed, promptly exited her seat with her friends, walked up to one of the offending females insulting the girl, and hit her face so hard she flew into the wall with an audible crack to the wall.

"Chakra laced punches. Gotta love them." She stated. She gazed down at the pink haired girl to find her on the ground. The girl she punched must have pushed her down before she interrupted. Extending a hand to the fallen girl, the child eyed it hesitantly before accepting the offer, being hauled to her feet. As the girl brushed herself off, she met eyes with her savior and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you. I didn't know what to do with them hurting me." She stated.

"Oh, it was nothing. But what was all that about anyway?" Sayuri asked. The girl seemed nice enough, and there didn't seem to be any other reason for the girl to be harassed as she was.

The girl turned her face to the ground as she spoke, embarrassed about her flaw. "Well… my forehead is really big, so they all make fun of it."

Sayuri blinked a few times as the information sunk in. A vein was visibly popping in her head as she grabbed the girl and quite literally dragged the bewildered girl away to her friend's table. Placing the girl in one of the open spaces, then climbed atop the table itself, pointing an accusatory finger at the rest of the students.

"LISTEN UP!" She yelled. "IF ANY OF YOU EVER BULLY HER AGAIN, I SWEAR, I WILL SMACK YOU SO HARD YOU'LL FEEL IT IN HELL!"

A little ways away, a teacher had heard the outburst and ran to the window to survey the situation himself. However, the teacher was met with a pretty normal sight of Sayuri, Naruto, Miki, Aka, and Satsuki making a scene with a new member of their little group, the girl known as Sakura.

"Well, that figures. Sakura never really did fit in well with everyone, so I guess it was natural that she got taken in by them." Iruka said. "Although, I really hope that they don't include her in their pranking to. So many kids involved in Naruto's pranks would be too much to handle." Iruka sighed as he walked away from the window, but not before noticing the child who made the crack in the wall. "WHAT?!"

The new group sat down and began to start enjoying all their food, though Sakura, as she told the group her name was, eyed Naruto warily. She almost seemed completely uncomfortable with his presence, as if there were something wrong with the boy.

'_Hmph. Must have been that her parents just don't want her socializing with the so called Nine-Tailed Fox. Idiots._' Miki had told Sayuri of the Nine-Tailed Fox's jailing inside of Naruto well into their friendship. Her anger towards Naruto for neglecting this significant detail was quickly put to rest as she was told of how the villagers treated the young boy. She found it went well beyond glares and muttered curses, so far as his routine beatings and visits to the hospital. Deciding she must open Sakura's eyes to the real Naruto, she tried to lift her spirits, but was quickly silenced by Satsuki.

"Hey, Sakura, what's wrong? You're just kinda looking at Naruto weirdly." She stated.

"Well, it's just…" The shy girl felt very rude for talking about her savior's friend like this. "My parents told me that I should stay away from Naruto. They just said it was because he wasn't a good kid to be around, so…"

As Naruto's depression quickly took place, Satsuki gazed incredulously at the girl before her. "That's not true! I mean, sure, Naruto is the number one prankster of Konoha, but he's really an awesome guy! He's kind, generous, and he always puts his friend's before himself. Your parents probably just think Naruto's a no good trouble maker, and that's what my dad said. But trust me, he is probably the nicest person you'll ever meet. Just ignore your parents, they just don't know how great Naruto really is!" Surprisingly, Aka quickly barked out in agreement after her speech had finished, happily wagging her tail.

Naruto brightened at his best friend's words, however Sakura still looked a little hesitant, though for the most part she seemed to accept Satsuki's explanation as she talked with them all, including Naruto, who was currently nervously staring at his tray. Before Satsuki or Sayuri could ponder his reaction, Their teacher, Iruka, suddenly burst into the clearing.

"Sayuri! What did you do to this student!" He yelled, pointing to the obviously injured student who had any cuts and abrasions. Surprisingly, the girl did not seem to have any broken bones. Sayuri squeaked as her teacher's temper exploded.

"Er, well, you see, it was, um… bye, Iruka-sensei!" Sayuri quickly sprinted away from the scene intent on avoiding Iruka for the rest of the day. As Iruka ran to follow her, when he passed two trees, he barely registered a _POP! _sound before his foot caught on something. Upon checking the area, he found he had tripped over ninja wire held in place by two kunai imbedded in the trees. Glaring at his suspects, he found Naruto and Miki nonchalantly eating their lunch while Sakura and Satsuki gazed at them wondrously. Deciding to let it go and chase after the child responsible for the larger offense, he ran after Sayuri once again, though she now had a huge head start.

"Nice work, bro." Miki stated as he smirked through his drink of milk, with an approving gaze casted at Naruto.

"Same to you, buddy." Naruto stated as he casually ate his rice ball. Though as he finished, he had the biggest smirk any of them had ever seen, and it threatened to split his face.

"How do you two do it?" Satsuki asked, confused as to how both of them could pull off the feats they do on an almost daily basis.

"Yeah, how do you manage to just prank everyone else and surprise us every time?" Sakura asked.

"Easy." Miki said, with a look that just shouted that it was obvious.

"It's actually really simple!" Naruto exclaimed, a happy grin crossing his face at the attention he was receiving from his friends. Satsuki and Sakura leaned towards them, waiting for the answer they figured would come.

"Creativity!" They shouted in unison, grins adorning both faces now.

Satsuki sighed. "Sounds like the kind of answer they'd give." She said, though Sakura still looked at Naruto in awe.

* * *

_**About Four Months Later**_

The group of six, including Aka, soon gathered more friends for their group. Kiba was drawn into the group not long after Sakura, considering Aka and Akamaru were playmates. They found Chouji and Shikamaru making mischief with Naruto and Miki almost weekly, and they quickly came into the group with open arms. Shikamaru wasn't exactly lively, though Naruto was greatly pleased by his presence since the child was so accepting of him. Chouji as well was warming up to the sun kissed blonde and found him to be a great friend.

For Sakura, confronting her parents in order to tell them of her and Naruto's friendship had been testing experience. They had nearly exploded with anger, and her two guardians had fiercely rejected the idea of her friendship with him, claiming she shouldn't be involved with a demon. Upon further explanation of even the last Uchiha's friendship with the blonde, her parents seemed to reluctantly accept it. In their minds, with Satsuki there, the Uchiha could surely defend her against the unskilled blonde Shinobi.

One day during the previous months, when the group had been training vigorously to improve, Sakura was introduced to their rigorous training regimen. She had had significant trouble adjusting to their training, though now, it seemed so routine. Even Shikamaru had been adjusting, focusing on many different strategies, though they're relentless training and drive to win every exercise prompted him to actively attempt to learn more of his family's shadow Jutsu, to which his parent's almost had a heart attack to know Shikamaru wanted to actually put effort into his training. However, a man was currently watching the group of nine as they trained, seemingly unnoticed.

"Gotcha!" All of a sudden, Miki had thrown one of his kunai into the bushes, where the spy had last been located according to Aka's sense of smell. The man had just barely dodged the weapon and was attempting to escape, though Miki proved to be the faster of the two and quickly tackled their spy.

"Ha! Now I'm gonna- wait, Shino?" Miki was astonished to find the quiet, insect littered boy had been the one who was spying on them.

Soon all of the ninja's-in-training gathered around them. Shino soon explained how he noticed they all held back a significant amount of power during sparring sessions and how he wished to know exactly how they were as good as they were. When asked about how he knew that fact as well, he told them about how Naruto was far too skilled at running away from ANBU successfully, which spiked his curiosity. Soon everyone eyed Naruto with slight contempt for having revealed even partially his actual speed, while he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

Soon, Shino found himself being invited to join in their training, and soon found himself absorbed into the group. He found them fascinating to watch as they interacted, and even more surprised to find they actually talked with him. Most stayed away from him due to his clan's abnormal allies, the kikai bugs. Shino thoroughly enjoyed his time spent with the group, and though quiet as ever, actively spent time with the nine of them.

* * *

_**About One Year Later**_

Now in the middle of their second to last year of the Academy, the group of ten made it a point to always spend as much time together as possible. They were all fond of each other and found enjoyment in their times spent pranking with Naruto and Miki. However, this wasn't always a continuous cycle. The entire group could be found with certain members while others were in their own group. Miki and Aka would always be with Naruto along with Satsuki, his two best friends, and they would often be accompanied by Sayuri and Sakura, who had become best friends a while back, while the other five seemed to split into certain groups. Kiba and Chouji would always be around each other during a spar, challenging the other's Taijutsu style. They would continuously be found around Shino and Shikamaru, who had appreciated the other's silence while Chouji and Kiba fooled around. Today, the former group was teeming around the hospital bed of Naruto, whose recent prank had gotten him sent to the hospital after slipping off a roof after it rained.

"Naruto, you goof, you're not supposed to fall off the building, you're supposed to run across them." Satsuki stated.

"Naruto! I told you to stop being so reckless! I swear, one of these days you're gonna fall and die and then I'll be devastated!" Sayuri had always made a point to reprimand Naruto had he made a drastic, potentially deadly error.

"Aw, c'mon, Sayuri, it's not like we planned on having ten ANBU chase us in the rain!" Miki complained.

"Yeah! Do you even realize how hard it is to run along the roof tops while it's so rainy! The only reason I was able to do it so long was because of the fact we've been doing this for so long!" Naruto whined, though he seemed as upset as the others that he wasn't careful.

"Figures…" Sakura said. Though she hid it, she was actually very concerned for Naruto. The fall had broken some of his ribs, fractured his leg, and sprained his wrist from attempting to catch himself on the ledge of the building before plummeting. Suddenly, a thought came to her.

"Naruto, guys, wait here! I'm gonna go get something that'll make this all a bit more cheerful!" She said. The others gazed back at her, wondering what the young girl had meant.

"Alight, Sakura, see ya in a bit!" Was the general statement made by the hospital room's current occupants as she left the building.

Soon, Sakura was in search of one specific store, regarded in Konoha as the one with the best service. The Yamanaka Flower Shop. However, hearing about it and finding it were two different activities, as she had no clue as to its whereabouts. However, the girl was determined to find this shop for the person she admired. Soon, the shop came into view, the earlier downpour still occurring.

Sprinting inside the shop, she was met with the sight of what must have been over a hundred individual flowers, the greenhouse doors in the back an obvious sign as to where the beautiful plants must have originated. Soon, a girl with medium blonde hair came into view, appraising Sakura ever so slightly as a bewildered look washed over her face.

'_What's the blonde's friend doing here?_' Ino thought. Soon, though, she panicked. '_Please, please don't prank my family's shop!_' Putting on a smile, she addressed her possible customer.

"Hello!" Sakura promptly spun around to meet the pale blonde. "Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop! How may I help you?"

Sakura soon returned to her shy nature as she met the stranger. While it was true Naruto, Miki, and Sayuri's attitude was bringing her out of her shyness, she still became shy facing strangers, though hoped even that would disappear soon.

"Hello… I'm here to pick out flowers for a friend." Sakura said quietly. The Yamanaka quickly let relief wash over her as she realized she would be no victim of a prank this day,

"Alright! Do you want help picking out the appropriate flowers?" She asked. Sakura quickly became confused a the sentence.

"You mean I need certain types of flowers?" She asked.

"Yeah! For example, a rose generally means you love that person. So going with that, every flower has a certain occasion." Sakura stared at the blonde in wonder. She certainly would never remember all that about a flower, let alone be able to arrange it in such a way that it would have such a meaning.

"Um, yeah... If I describe the situation to you, can you pick out the flowers?" Sakura asked politely.

"Sure! Just talk away." Ino stated.

As Sakura described how one of her friends were injured during a 'training session' the Yamanaka set about finding the appropriate flowers. Once she determined the girl must have been gathering this for a very close friend, she quickly added other flowers to compensate for the occassion, along with the appropriate compliments of the flowers. Soon, the blonde found herself taking an early lunch, and umbrella, to walk the girl to the hospital, chatting with her pink haired companion and becoming quick friends.

"So, who's this guy you like so much? He's gotta be great for you to go through all this trouble." The blonde stated.

"Well… it's actually for Naruto." The shy nine year old stated.

"What?! Really? I would have never guessed that. He just seems way too annoying." Ino stated.

"It's true, he acts really annoying and loud, but when you actually start talking to him, it's almost like his friendliness pulls you in. It's contagious, really. But I don't have a crush on him. He's just turning into one of my best friends. " She finished with a smile.

"Well, sounds like I should meet him too!" She said.

Both soon arrived at the hospital, and Sakura invited Ino into the hospital room as well to meet Naruto. After placing the arranged flowers on her friend's hospital table, after an onslaught of thanks courtesy of the bright blonde, all present finally took note of the young Yamanaka's presence. The older blonde had been reluctant in talking to the platinum blonde, but quickly warmed up to her presence. Soon, Ino was chatting away with her new friends and sounded as if she would never stop, much to Naruto's delight as the two rambled on and on about the most simplistic matters. Sakura was extremely fond of the platinum blonde as well, taking as much time to talk to her as possible. The Yamanaka also assisted Sakura in parting her hair, to make her so-called 'huge forehead' less noticeable. When the pink haired girl expressed how she wished to grow out her hair, the others in the room aside from Ino quickly put a stop to that idea.

"But why?" Sakura asked, confused as to why they wished for her hair to remain short.

"The fact is, Sakura," Miki began, "That you look tons better with shorter hair. I can't imagine you with long hair. The image I get from it is you being stuck up, and honestly it doesn't even look all that good in my mind." The other occupants of the room quickly nodded to show their agreement.

"Well, okay you guys." Sakura seemed to understand their reasoning. As she thought of it, it did seem better to have shorter hair.

As Ino observed hw much of a family the group seemed to be, her face lit up.

'_These people are awesome!_' She thought.

* * *

_**Six Months Later**_

They had just begun the new year at the Academy as the group of eleven entered the classroom. There would be no courses which separated boys and girls this year, much to the group's delight. They would all be in the same classes, learning and progressing together as they had been doing for months previous, until finally, this year, the graduation exam would be taking place. Iruka-Sensei found the group troublesome when planning pranks together.

Shino could set up his bugs as lookouts while Kiba and Akamaru served as a second layer of protection should someone escape Shino's bugs. Meanwhile, Ino could allow them access to areas through her Mind Possession Jutsu without consequence, as the guard will have simply thought they fell asleep. Shikamaru would plan the pranks at just the right time with Naruto, who was a surprisingly advanced strategist with all the planning that had gone into his previous pranks. Miki and Aka would then help speed along the prank, allowing Naruto to make free use of their exponential chakra reserves to accompany his own vast reserves. Sakura could sweet talk them into any area, as well. Miki, Aka, Chouji, and Naruto would then commit the prank as Satsuki found their escape route. Sayuri would also be busy setting up small traps such as rope which when stepped on would ensnare the pursuers' feet, dangling them from above to ensure a hasty retreat. Then ANBU would appear and have them commit to speed training, because you pushed yourself even harder when you knew you faced the possibility of suffering one of Iruka's lectures.

As they sat down for lunch Satsuki noticed a lone girl sitting apart from everyone else. Her pale lavender eyes were pupiless, and she wore a heavy coat and dark pants. Her hair was short and seemed appropriate for her. Satsuki was able to identify this girl as the heir to the Hyuuga family, Hinata Hyuuga.

The girl almost seemed to be in a state of melancholy Satsuki recognized all too well. She had remembered looking in the mirror one day to see her depressed state when her father refused to even acknowledged her existence, which happened often. Before Satsuki could even realize what she was doing, she promptly walked up to the girl and smiled down at her. Bewildered by the other female's sudden interest in her, the girl looked up at the raven haired Uchiha.

"Hey there, it's Hinata, right?" Satsuki asked. The girl nodded ever so slightly, as if afraid talking to the Uchiha may be rude in some form or way.

"Well you look real lonely here, why don't you come over and join us?" She asked. Hinata raised her head from the table, astounded to hear someone, a complete stranger no less, was warmly inviting her to simply socialize with the others.

"But I don't wish to intrude on your and your friend's fun. I won't even really talk much…" Hinata stuttered her response, and Satsuki idly noted that this girl must have been shyer than Sakura when they first met her. Although she did get a good chuckle out of that not talking much remark.

"You act like Shino talks his head off. You'll fit right in! Come one, it'll be fun." Unknown to Satsuki, her friends were already staring after her, wondering exactly what the Uchiha was talking about with the girl.

Giving into the Uchiha's request, she allowed herself to be lead over to the group's table. She very quickly noted Naruto and Ino, who loudly introduced themselves. Satsuki formally introduced herself for the first time as well. Shikamaru stated how troublesome it was that yet another new ninja was brought into the fold. At first, the remark had hurt her, but upon seeing this, Sayuri introduced herself, telling her how he says that whenever a new person joins them, which calmed down the shy Hyuuga. Miki and Aka were next, and Aka took a liking to Hinata as she knew exactly where to put her to make her tail wag. Kiba and Akamaru introduced themselves, as Akamaru's introduction was a lick to Hinata's face. Shino simply stated his name and nodded to show he acknowledged her presence. Sakura then introduced herself along with Chouji mumbling his own name through the bag of chips he was currently devouring.

As days went on where the group would spend time with her, she soon found herself in continuous company of them. they helped the Hyuuga with her training as well, challenging her speed with ther own, along with the Taijutsu. She found Miki and Aka especially difficult since she had never even seen their kind of fighting style. It was reminiscent of the Inuzuka's Taijutsu in that it involved fighting on all fours, however his own blows seemed to focused on using his fingers as weapons, almost. He soon revealed to her his ability to change into a wolf-human hybrid through manipulating a certain chakra residing inside him, hwoever a more accurate name for the transformation's result was a werewolf. He also explained how his nails would elongate into sharper points. He thoroughly explained he wasn't a monster, but that the chakra siply had this effect on him, making him take on a feral appearance.

Hinata one day stared in wonder at the group that was currently waiting for her arrival outside the Hyuuga Compound. She then realized just how lucky she was to have had such amazing friends.

* * *

_**Six Months Later**_

A long while later, the group's training showed significant progress. The group could easily have been classified at a mid-Genin level, though they're speed rivaled Chuunin. They were talented in many different areas, though the skills of many of them laid in other fields.

Currently, the class was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Iruka and Mizuki-Sensei. Miki, Satsuki, and Naruto could be found happily speaking of how the test would occur and what they would be tested on and how they would perform once they became ninjas of the Hidden Leaf Village. Sakura, Ino, and Sayuri as well were in their own heated discussion, though they quickly became lost and started to talk of their own crushes. Shikamaru and Chouji could be found with the Nara napping and Chouji happily eating his chips, while Shino simply sat there patiently. Kiba and Hinata were discussing their own progress, however the Inuzuka seemed more interested in Hinata than anything. Aka could be found playing with Akamaru as the other students patiently waited for their Sensei's, while some girls from the class couldn't help but chase the dog and wolf around claiming how cute the two were.

Soon, the teachers they had all been waiting for entered the room. All the students looked forward in anticipation of the tests, they're chances to become Shinobi. Time seemed to almost stop as Iruka looked at all his students, including his top and favorite students, Satsuki, Sayuri, Miki, and Naruto.

"Today is the Academy Graduation Exam!" Iruka yelled.


	4. NOTICE

**UPDATE: THIS WILL BE REMOVED ONCE I CREATE THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**I apologize for ot updating in some months. I frankly hit a wall in this story and I'm debating what the hell to do. It didn't help I had 200 Algebra problems and a Summer Read over 450 pages long to do in one month.**

**In the meantime, I would suggest following me as an Author if you enjoy BLEACH and NARUTO. I will be writing a Suì-FēngxOC (Soi Fon as I will be writing it.) with IchiRuki (IchigoxRukia) as a side pairing.**

**FOR NARUTO, I am currently finishing up a 15,000+ word first chapter for a Naruto/Tayuya pairing featuring Miki, though this is an alternate universe from Time's Remorse, along with OCxKurotsuchi as well, with more in depth information on Miki as he is in that universe as well. It's even very, VERY loosely linked with this story, though only in one way, and it is a very insignificant one at that.**

**I Hope to see you all in my other stories!**

**~Ryan**


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